Post-card rack.



W. 0. KAISER 6a 0. KLEIN.

POST GARD RACK. APILIOATION FILED 001.25, 1909.

Patented 11111121911.

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` W. o. KAISER & o. KLEIN.

` POST CARD RACK.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.25, 1909.l

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"flhllilll TAT@ FEWF @FFffllll WILLIAM O. KAISER AND OSCAR KLEIN, OF BURLINGTON, IOWA.

POST-CARD RACK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, VVILLrAM 0. KAISER and Oscar. KLEIN, both of Burlington, Des Moines county, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Post-Card Racks; and we hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

rifhis invention is an improvement in racks for holding and displaying postal cards and the like for which we were granted Patent No. 934,318, September 14, 1909; and its object is to improve the construction of the rack sections; to provide improved means whereby the sections can be supported; and improved means whereby the rows of sections can be simultaneously turned or rotated so that the cards on opposite sides of the sections which are double faeed can be displayed at, or readily viewed from, either side of the rack.

The invention will be clearly understood from the following description and the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of part of a rack embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional plan view on line 2 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view on line 5 5, Fig. 8. Fig. 6 is an enlarged end view of two connected rack sections. Fig. 7 is a plan view of a blank for the frame part and a rack section. Fig. 8 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 8 8, Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on line 9 9, Fig. 8.

Each section or card holder of the rack is formed of sheet metal and comprises a bottom member 1, a top member 2, and end members 1a. The end members 1a and bottom member 1 are preferably stamped out of a single sheet of metal (see Fig. 7) and the bot-tom member has its sides stiifened by return bend flanges, 1c, the lower bends of which flanges are adapted to interlock with Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 25, 1909.

Patented Mar. "Z, 1911..

Serial No. 524,514.

the top member of another section, as hereinafter described.

The end members 1aM are preferably tapered as shown, being wider at top than at bottom, and are provided with inwardly projecting fianges 1e on their outer edges as shown to retain cards in the rack; the end members 1a are also beveled on their upper ends as shown at 1b so as to permit the more ready insertion and removal of cards from the section. The top member 2 is preferably formed of sheet metal and is substantially rectangular in cross section and has a longitudinal slot 2*"t in its upper side.

r1`he upper ends of the side members 1a of the frame are attached to the ends of the tubular top member 2 in any suitable manner; `a good and preferred form of connection is to form ears or iianges 1m on the upper ends of the side members 1a, which ears embrace opposite sides of the ends of the top member 2 and are fastened thereto by riveting, or preferably eyeletting the ears 1m to the sides of member 2 as indicated at 1, and clearly shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The end members may be stiffened by corrugating them as indicated at 1o and 1P, the central corrugation 1o being the deepest and serving as a means to prevent short cards inserted in one side of the section tipping over to the other side thereof.

The lianges 1c on one section can be engaged with the slotted top member 2 of another section, as indicated in Figs. 1 8; and any number of such sections can be connected together in a vertical row. fe have shown but two sections so connected in the drawings, but obviously more sections can be used if desir-ed.

The uppermost section of each row is suspended by a hanger 3 attached to a rotatable stub shaft 5E `iournaled in the support 5. This hanger 3 is preferably made of sheet metal, and is bent to form a head portion Bb, a shank 3C and clips 8d. The head portion 3" of the hanger is inserted in the top member 2 of the upper section with the shank 3 projecting above the same through slot Qa; and the clips 3d of the hanger 3 are suitably fastened to the lower ends of the stub shaft or pin 5a, as by a bolt 3, The stub shafts 5L are journaled in openings in thc upper side of the support 5, and in cross pieces 5b attached to the support.

As shown the support 5 is formed of an inverted U-shaped metal bar, or plate, and the cross pieces 5b are preferably formed of metal straps riveted or otherwise secured to and between the depending side flanges of the support 5 at the proper points. The stub shafts 5a are supported on the cross pieces 5b preferably by means of pinions or gears 4L which lie upon cross pieces 5b and have angular axial openings througl which the stub shafts 5a depend; the lower parts of said shafts are angular in cross section, like the openings in the pinions et, so as to cause vthe shafts to turn with the pinions. The teeth of the pinions project slightly beyond one side of the vsupport 5 through slots 5e in one side flange of the support, as shown.

On the slotted side of support 5 is a slidebar 6 which is provided with series of tee-th or slots 6L adapted to be engaged by the pinions et, so that if the slide-bar be shifted longitudinally all the pinions will be rotated similarly-and consequently the rack sections connected therewith can be turned. lfhe slide-bar 6 may be upheld in position by lips 6b struck up out of the metal of the support as indicated in the drawings. Said slide 6 may be operated by means of a handrod 8 attached to the lower end of one of the stub shafts 52L as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that by turning rod 8 by hand the slidebar 6 can be shifted to right or left, and will cause the several pinions to rotate alike; and thus the rows of sections can be simultaneously turned to right or left at will. The pinions t are provided with projecting stop portions 4C adapted to strike the side of the slotted liange of support 5 and to arrest the rotation of the pinions when they have made a one-half revolution in either direction which will suflice to completely reverse the rack sections, and to stop them when they are exactly parallel with the support.

1n practice any desired number of the card holding rack sections may be connected in a row, and any desired number' of rows of such sections can be suspended from the support 5; and in this way a display rack of any desired size can be readily built up, with cards displayed on both sides of each section. 1n order to reverse the racks it is simply necssary to turn the rod 8 sufciently to impart a semi-rotation to the pinions t which will turn each row of rack sections half-way around, and thus reverse the positions of such sections, so that all the cards on both sides of the rack can easily be shown to a customer.

Having described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent thereon is:

1. In a display rack, the combination of a support having depending side flanges, cross pieces secured between said flanges, pinions supported on said cross pieces, and stub shafts transixing said pinions, a slide bar engaging all of the pinions, display racks suspended from said shafts, and an operating rod connected with one of the shafts.

2. In a display rack the combination of a support, a pinion mounted on said support, a display rack suspended from said pinion, and manually operable means for turning the pinion, said pinion having stops on its periphery whereby it is arrested when turned a half revolution in either direction` 3. 1n a display rack, the combination of a metallic supporting bar having depending side flanges, a cross piece secured between said flanges, a pinion supported on said cross piece, a stub shaft journaled in the bar and cross piece and connected to the pinion and supported thereby, a display rack suspended from said stub shaft, and a sliding rack bar for turning said pinion.

el. 1n a display rack the combination of a support, a stub shaft mounted on the support, a display rack suspended from said shaft, a segmental pinion on said stub shaft having stop port-ions whereby the rotation of the pinion is arrested when turned a half revolution in either direction, and manually operable means for turning said shaft.

5. In a card exhibiting section for display racks'the combination of a single integral U-shaped frame having integral bottom and side members, the bottom member of the said frame having o'ppositely disposed integral side flanges and the end members being tapered from bottom to top, and having inwardly extending flanges on their outer edges; with a top member connected to and between the upper ends of the said side members, and having a longitudinal slot adapted to be engaged by the flanges of the bottom member of a similar section.

6. A card-display rack section comprising a U-shaped frame having a bottom member provided with iianges on its edges, and integral end members tapered from bottom to top, having inwardly extending flanges on their outer edges and inwardly projecting ears on their upper ends provided with struck-up parts; with a slotted tubular top member having openings in its sides engaging said struck-up parts of the ears on the end members, substantially as described.

7. A display section for card racks com prising a tubular top member having a longitudinal slot in its upper side; with a frame having a bottom member provided with return-bend flanges on its sides, and end members formed integral with the said bo-ttom member but Wider at top than at bottom and having inwardly projecting side ianges, and having ears on their upper ends embracing the ends of the top member and 10 secured thereto; the anged bottom member of one section being adapted to engage the slotted top member of a like section.

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as our own, We eiX our signatures in presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM O. KAISER.. OSCAR KLEIN. In presence 0f- ANNA M. KAISER, HERBERT O. BACHER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

